Armored CoreZoids Collab
by DivineGuidanceAlpha
Summary: ...Well, I suppose that this is just something that I thought would be a good idea. It has two different storylines at first, but they merge quickly, then split, then remerge. It's going to be a longish story, I hope...Rated T for blood and language.
1. Chapter 1

Armored Core/Zoids Colab

Ch. 1: Joining the Ranks.

**Note: I do not own AC, Zoids, or anything about this, other than the idea, and some of the characters.**

_The Raven flies, his Armored Core synced within his mind, forcing him to learn the movements; in time, they become his as well._

_"Watch out, Oblivion! You've got a pair of MTs on your tail!"_

"This is not the time, Raizen! I'm trying to break them off, but they keep coming! They've got double armoring!"

Shiden Arashi was most likely not in a good mood. His partner just happened to be his twin, even though they had different surnames, and they looked fairly different. Those two, along with about four other Raven hopefuls, were taking the last test to make it into the ranks, but only two would pass. The two with the highest kill percentage, at least. Both Shiden, and his brother, Raizen Shipuu, Pilot name Frostbite, were at the top of the class, but it was certainly clear: They both had to get in, only for two very different reasons. Shiden was going because it was his duty, as was his father's years before, to become an Armored Core, or AC, pilot, but Raizen merely wanted to stay close to his brother, whom he really loved and trusted. He was dependant of Shiden, for many reasons.

Shiden finally managed to blow a hole in each MT, right where the cockpits used to be. Then he turned, and blew another one who had been hoping to ambush him while he was chased to bits. "Three more down," He called to his eccentric twin.

_"Awesome! Now you're in the lead!"_ the younger twin crowed.

Shiden looked away from his targeting screen long enough to check the statistics monitor, which said that, indeed, he was at the top of the scores, with Pilot name Sunblaze, in close second, tied with his brother. When he returned his gaze to the monitors, he saw an AC that wasn't part of the training exam. "Holy--" He resisted swearing, since his little brother was right there. The AC turned toward him, and a voice came from within. "Playtime's over, little Ravens. Now to see if you can fly, or if you'll fall and die." A shot came from over Shiden's shoulder, but that did little to the opposing AC; the ACs they piloted were little better than MTs at this time. _**"Pilots! Get out of there! That's an advanced Raven! The test is over, you all need to get out!"**_

Although Shiden was thrusting backwards, he was only doing so to get a clear shot at the opposing AC's head unit. Two blasts issued; one from Shiden, one from Raizen. Both shots hit their intended target; Shiden's blew the helmet to smithereens, Raizen, with his sniper rounds, managed to get a shot into the core. There was a loud explosion, then silence. "Mission Control, This is Oblivion. Target has been neutralized by both Frostbite and myself." Off the main radio, on their private channel, he said, "Perfect shot, bro."

_**"Repeat that, Ravens? Did you say the target has been eliminated?" **_

"Yes Sir!" The words came from both of their mouths, shocked that Mission control had actually called them both Ravens.

_"Um, could you repeat that, Mission Control? Did you just call us both Ravens?" _Raizen, always testing his luck, asked as if stupid.

_**"...That is correct, Frostbite. You two, along with Pilot Sunblaze, have been promoted to full-fledged Ravens. Congrats to you three!"**_

_Inside, the newly initiated twins cheered, and were already imagining the party they would throw, but on the outside, they merely responded, "Thank you sir! We will not disappoint!" _

_And with that, they were heading off, to their new lives as Ravens. The wonder, the mystery, the romance, and of course, the deadly danger..._

--

_Zoids...They are so difficult to tame, and more so to fight with without perfect sync...but, over time, weaknesses die, and strength is born._

ACs and MTs weren't the only pilots training for battle on the continent, nor even the country. Halfway in the middle of a huge, bleak desert, two boys and a girl were training to become part of the latest team on the Zoid block; Team Mirage. Ironically, this team was hosted by Mirage Corporation, who more than intended to see if these pilots could stack up to the Ravens in good time. If so, they could stop worrying about the rougish AC pilots killing off their corporation, and their business. The three hopefuls were facing off against several dozen MTs that had been converted to look more beastly; they wanted them to believe that they were actually joining a Zoid team until after they joined, and after they were briefed on their real assignment. Koen and Baryu Tenso were in a pair of Liger-types; Koen a red Blade Liger, Baryu a green Liger Aero. The girl, Lia Novertas, was piloting a silver Death Saurer, with red highlights. None of them blended well into the scenery; well, Baryu and his Liger Aero did, but that was his optic camouflage. The three readied themselves for the barrage, and began. Koen sliced through many of the MTs with his blades, then blasted one in the facial region that got too close. Baryu waited until the opprotune moment, then unleashed a fury of bullets from the gatling unit on his back, preferring to shred the enemy ships to pulp while remaining hidden. Lia merely started blasting anything not colored like her allies' ships, and immediately blew her foes to hell in a handbasket. As soon as the task was completed, the Cargo Snail that housed the leaders of the Team they were hoping to join opened, and released a pair of humanoid creatures.

"...What the hell are those?" Koen asked first.

"...They're not Zoids, that's for sure..." his brother intoned.

"Uhm...I think those are those things called 'Armored Cores'," Lia said slowly.

"...No matter. We'll still win!" Baryu shouted, actually surprising both Lia nad Koen. He was usually quiet as the wind.

The trio resumed their attack formations, but soon realized that the ACs were heavily decked out with armor and weapons, but were really slowed down due to it. "Koen, Baryu, circle around that one, and when you get behind it, open fire! I'll handle this one myself," Lia intoned.

_"Roger," _came the reply from the pair.

The fight ended swiftly, as the brothers, not twins, but closer than that, released a perfect combination of Koen first razing through with his blades, then Baryu once again firing like a demon at the back of the AC, while Lia, true to her word, wiped the remaining AC out with the Death Saurer's special burst.

_**"...Congratulations, pilots. Welcome to Team Mirage."**_

_"Yes! We did it!" his brother's loud boisterous voice filled the speakers._

_"Drinks are on me tonight!" the secret love of his life shouted shortly later._

_All Baryu could do was smile, and nod at the images of his two closest friends on the monitors. He could just imagine life now: Living with his crush and favorite brother; doing what he loved, and getting paid for it, although most of it would be given to his brother out of kindness; and, of course, the thought of going into a fight and possibly never returning..._


	2. Chapter 2

Armored Core/Zoids Colab

Ch. 2: Crushes.

**Note: I do not own AC, Zoids, or anything about this, other than the idea, and some of the characters.**

_So, _Shiden thought. _This is what it feels like to be among the Ravens._

Global Cortex, the Nest for Ravens, was bigger than their father had told them. Raizen was getting along well with the lady Ravens that had come to welcome them to Global Cortex, but Shiden had other plans; there was a certain girl within the Ravens that he had lived next to for a long time, and, over that time, had started to consider her as more than a friend. Then, she had said that she was going to become a Raven. Now, she was a year older than our young protagonist, but she was still the only girl on his mind at the time. "Ah, Serena..."

Raizen looked up at the mentioning of their old neighbor, and smiled. "Ah, so that's why you wanted to take the tests last year...You wanted to see her!" Shiden smacked his twin upside the head, wearing a slight grin. "Shut up. Even if I do see her, she's probably got a boyfriend already, and has no time for the little kid next door that she used to talk to when it rained."

Raizen sighed, a sad smile on his face; Sometimes Shiden had no self esteem, and even though he was unafraid to fly a giant mech into a battlefield, he was afraid of talking to the girl who had grabbed his heartstrings from the beginning. Raizen himself had actually found where she was staying, her mission record, and who had sent her the most messages.

He was just keeping all those little tidbits to himself. However, he did allow himself to say, "Well, if she's where she usually would be, I'd start at the Arena."

Shiden sighed, and said, "First I need to upgrade my gear, and that takes money." Both boys sighed deeply, as they realized that they would have to be working hard as hell to get money for the stuff they wanted or needed. Shiden then looked at his information, and told his twin, "I'm going to go see my new room. Later."

Raizen waved him off, then Shiden started into the cells. He was in Cell Block E, Room 214. It took some time, since there were about 12 different halls in E Block, but he finally found it. He went in, kicked off his shoes, and turned to see what he was dealing with. He saw a single bunk bed, then a door to what he assumed was the bathroom. The closet was empty, which he took as a sign that he was living alone. He opened the door to the bathroom, which was about as big as his cell. He saw a bathtub, and a sink, then a door to somewhere else. He left the door alone, and went to the sink. He opened the medicine cabinet, and put his clack toothbrush in, next to a pink one, and his sleeping pills in there too; sometimes he had difficulty sleeping. He looked at the tub, which had the cover partially over it. There was water already in it, so he thought about taking a bath, then noticed the bubbles. He slid back the cover slightly, and saw a woman's face, eyes slightly widened at her bath being disturbed. "Oh, um...I didn't hear anyone come in..." She blushed, and sank a little lower into the bubbly water.

"Uh, yeah. I'm in Room 214. Pilot name Oblivion."

She held out a hand, which he shook, while she said, "I'm in room 213. Pilot name Tenso. But, my real name is Aurora."

He sighed. "...Nice to meet you..." This girl seemed a bit like Serena, but not really; her hair was purple with black streaks, instead of dark blue, she was less awkward, and it seemed like puberty had been her best friend; she was at least a C.

"Mine's Shiden," he muttered, going back into his room to unpack. "By the way, you have a cut on your neck; you should bandage it later."

The blush on her face deepened, but he couldn't see it. _He's really observant...wonder what else he saw..._

--

_Baryu and Koen...my best friends...How am I supposed to choose between them?!_

Lia was sitting between her two crushes and teammates. She knew she had to choose, but she was panicked, since they were brothers, and she could very well end their friendship if she chose one over the other. Even though Koen kept saying he didn't care, that she was just a friend, he was always so nice to her. That had to be proof that he liked her at least a little, she reasoned.

Baryu always got really quiet when asked about anyone he had a crush on, even more so when she was brought up. She had always considered him the goofy kid next door, until he hit puberty. Now, he was a hair taller than his older brother, but he was so quiet and reserved. He was like a puzzle with missing pieces; No way to figure out what he makes. However, she thought him a real good person, and he was always willing to help those in need. It had been his idea for them to all sign up for the same team, but it had been Koen's to try for Team Mirage. "Hey Lia. Ryu was wondering if you'd like to go out with him."

Koen's words came as a shock to both Ryu, as his nickname was, and Lia. Ryu responded by swatting his brother across the head, blushing wildly, while Lia buried her face in her hands, blushing twice as badly. _Oh, this is exactly what I was worried about..._ Koen merely shrugged, and said, "It's not like it's a secret that he likes you. Plus, he needs someone to talk to that isn't kin while we're not fighting."

The blush on both of their faces deepened to a scarlet color, but neither said anything. Ryu then said, "A-actually, I've...got a girlfriend." Both Koen and Lia were speechless.

"And when were you going to tell me?!" Koen demanded.

"I did. Three times last week."

Koen blinked. Last week was a blur to him, what with all the training he had done. "...Right...when?"

Ryu sighed. "Let me think...First at the beginning of the first time we trained that week, then once while playing video games, and lastly last night."

Lia looked at her plate, eyes watering. _So...he's already got a girl..._ "What's her name?" Lia asked, holding back a sob. "Her name is Naomi, and she's one of the major-leaguers. She's on a team with Leon Toros!"

Koen nearly choked on his steak. "Damn! My little bro got a girl! And one with a rep for being a mankiller!"

It was true; Naomi was famous on the Zoid news networks and gossip channels for being a mankiller, and was usually dropping guys like flies. Lia forced a smile, and said, "Wow. That's...good for you."

Ryu shrugged. "I'm thinking about breaking it off. Especially since she'll be competition for us." Lia felt like she could kiss him then and there.


	3. Chapter 3

Armored Core/Zoids Colab

Ch. 3: Deals and Secrets.

**Note: I do not own AC, Zoids, or anything about this, other than the idea, and some of the characters.**

_It's been several weeks since we left Shiden and Raizen. Both have been working as hard as possible, usually on either combat missions, or as a tag-team in the arenas. Raizen found Serena, and spoke to her several times, but still hasn't told Shiden about her, nor her about him. In the meantime, Shiden has been getting along well with Aurora, and they has developed a sort of brother-sister bond together, him cooking, her helping him find good jobs._

"Ah, that was as good a meal as ever, Shiden," Aurora said, patting her stomach, smiling. "Keep this up, I'll get fat!"

"You? Nah, you'd be dead before you get fat. You're too cute."

She felt the blush she got whenever he complimented her rise, but forced it down. He picked her plate up, went over to the small sink that was in every Raven cell, and started washing the dishes. He was an expert chef, but only having a microwave to use severely cut his talents short. "One day, when we've got time off, I'll take you to some place that allows the customers to cook, and I'll show you how good I am."

"Aw, you're sweet. But I'm not sure you can do better than what you are now."

One of his eyebrows perked up, an evil grin on his face. "Is that a challenge?" he asked in a playful manner.

She stood up to her full height, which was still a bit shorter than him, and gave him a playful push. "Maybe it is. And if it is, it's gotta have stakes..."

Shiden ruffled her hair, and said, "Alright. If I win, you have to go on the next three missions with nothing but the most impeding equipment available; such as, if it's a mission that requires speed, you'll have to put on the heaviest equipment, if it's an assault, only the lightest armoring."

She felt nervous, since that kind of agreement could be fatal, but she wasn't one to back down. "Alright. But, if _I_ win, which I will, you have to give me a kiss. On the lips, no arguments."

He gave the full power of his evil grin, and said, "You've got a deal."

Before he could give her the surprise he had been planning, however, his room's comlink went off. He sighed, and walked in. "A mission? To meet up with Mirage's new fighters? Hm...Something about a new type of mech, and they want me to meet the pilots, since I'm usually working for Mirage anyway."

He walked back in, picked his jacket up from the chair he'd been sitting at, actually kissed her on the cheek, and ran out. She stared at the door, touched her cheek, and turned a deep shade of red.

_...I can't believe I did that...Oh well. I guess I do like her, after all. Time to get Raizen, upgrade my AC, and then load it into a chopper, which will fly me and him out to the middle of the desert, to meet with these "Zoid" pilots, and then I'm supposed to test them? I'm not sure that they'll be able to kill, since the Zoid fights are for sport, not life threatening, like the Arena battles; maybe that's what this will be like, an Arena Battle..._ Shiden found his brother's room fairly swiftly, since both had been put in E-block. However, it was three halls over, and about six or seven rooms past. He walked in, and found his brother prepared to go, for once. Both left E-block, and made their way to the Garage.

_A deal is struck, the stakes set, but unknown to both, that deal may be fatal to one...A mission, to test a different breed of pilot, who might be used against the Ravens in times to come...And, of course, a crush is formed, from a pair of close friends..._

--

_Meanwhile, the Zoids pilots have been doing just as well, practicing every chance they could get, fighting with plenty of teams. Ryu broke it off with Naomi, and Koen found a girl who was as advanced with a Blade Liger as he was. The two were often seen together over those weeks, and Ryu was rarely seen when there was no practice, instead going to this cliff, watching the moon rise and set with his Zoid. Lia had sold her Death Saurer, much to the horror of both boys, and bought a new creation, something that had been in the works for a while, but only recently released: It was a new breed of the Wolf Zoids, the Konig Wolf Orion, which seemed to be outfitted with titanium armoring, so it was heavily shielded, without the extra weight. She equipped it with a Wild Weasel unit, so it could loose as much rapid-fire destruction as she wished, and a long-range sniper unit, for that little bonus._

"And the winners are, once again, Team Mirage by a hair!"

The team went to their favorite restaurant after the match, greeted their fans, and ordered their usual: Koen had the big, bloody steak, Ryu got the BLT, and Lia got the sampler platter, that way she had a little of everything. It was Ryu's turn to pay, and he had been saving quite a bit of the money he got for the fights, only spending little bits at a time. He was quite fine with his Liger Aero how it was, although he had been thinking of changing it to catch his opponents off guard; Koen had been upgrading the shield unit on his Blade Liger, and then also buying a mini-gatling unit, which he equipped to the chest, where the little twin-barrel gun had once been.

"...I've been thinking..." Ryu said, looking down at the table.

"Yeah?" Koen asked between bites of his steak, Ryu already finished with his sandwich.

"...I was thinking about getting a new gun for my Liger..."

"That's great! Have you decided what kind of gun? A cannon? An improved gatling unit?"

"...Actually, I was planning on getting a gatling laser unit..."

"You mean that thing that covers the Zoid's whole back, lightweight, spits out death faster than the Wild Weasel?"

Ryu nodded. He had been saving up for the unit, since the Gatling Unit A was often used by the pros with Shield Ligers, and that's exactly what the Liger Aero was; an advanced-or modified, whichever way you looked at it-Shield Liger unit. It was pretty good, and it would be a great counter to the Gatling Unit C, which was often employed on the bigger, heavier Zoid units, such as Great Zabers, and Proto Zabers. With encouragement from his brother, he made the purchase when they got back to the base.

The next day, they got an email from the managers of the Battle Team, saying that they were going to be meeting with twin AC pilots, who were going to be there to see how well the Zoids could perform, and whether or not they could compete with Raven Pilots. "Be warned, though; these two pilots are highly advanced, even for rookies. Good luck, and show them your best."

"...Hell yeah! We get to see what these 'Raven' Pilots can do! I've heard that they're always in danger, kinda like the Republic and Imperial Zoid pilots!" Koen was, of course, ecstatic.

"Hm...If they're anything like the last two ACs we fought, they're going to be not at all a challenge, but if they're as good as the boss says..." Ryu was, of course, skeptic.

"...Either way, we will take them on, and give it our all." Lia, of course, was optimistic, but still a little worried.

The team all said their good-nights, and prepared for the next day, all in their own way: Koen was working on his Liger until about midnight, then fell asleep in the cockpit; Ryu read for about an hour, thinking about his secret crush, and if he would ever reveal it to her, before passing out from boredom; and Lia wrote in her diary, most likely about Ryu, and fell asleep, to dreams of her friend and secret crush.

_Two wheels of fate have been set in motion, and are soon to come crashing together; Two different kinds of pilot are meeting, and a clash of great proportions will follow. Who will come out on top? Who will fall in defeat? What will happen between our two protagonists, Ryu and Shiden? Will they tell their crushes, or will fate have something else in store?_


	4. Chapter 4

Armored Core/Zoids Colab

Ch. 4: Perfection and Cooking.

**Note: I do not own AC, Zoids, or anything about this, other than the idea, and some of the characters.**

_...It's perfect._

That was Shiden Arashi's thought as he looked at his newly upgraded Armored Core. "The best assault rifle on the market, recently made by Mirage, specially for their AC pilots. The fastest energy saber that doesn't make a wave; those cause problems the more they're used. A new core, one with an excellent OB. The head with the most advanced radar, and a jammer just in case. And a pair of light, strong arms and legs. Most, if not all, of this stuff manufactured by Mirage. How lucky am I?"

As he stood admiring his beautiful creation, which also had a silver and blue paint job, Raizen was admiring his own creation, one with a red and gold paint job. "The most advanced sniper rifle for ACs, Mirage made, not quite in the public market yet. Extra powerful shielding, to keep me safe while I snipe them, and not taking much power from my AC at the same time. Good, medium armoring on the legs and arms, the core has an interesting EO..."

Both boys had tried to get all Mirage gear, since the company had been so nice to them, not to mention that Mirage was always hiring them for important jobs, and payed big for it. All in all, neither boy had gone over 900k, and both still had a nice big sum in their accounts. "Now that that's done, let's get these two loaded up, and heading out."

The mechanics started doing the work, while the two boys hopped into their individual cockpits, and fell asleep. It was late, and the night crew worked faster than day, even though not many people knew that. _When we get back, I'll have to take her somewhere, so I can prove that I'll win the bet...But oh well._

The sounds of the mechanics at work soothed him into a nice, calm slumber.

--

_...Man, I love it..._

Both Koen and Ryu were absolutely in love with their new Zoid upgrades. Koen had taken his brother's old gatling unit, and attached it to the back of his Blade Liger. Both were preparing for the fight, while Lia was busy trying to cook, and not burn the Cargo Snail down. She was mad about this, since Koen was the best cook, but both were adamant that they were going to fight, and she relax. Plus, it wouldn't be fair to have three on two, and Ryu was possibly the worst cook ever. Both Koen and Lia had accused him of trying to kill them with poison when he cooked the last time. So, Lia was stuck cooking, while Koen and Ryu were fixing their Zoids.

"I wonder what these AC pilots will be like..." Lia wasn't sure why she was cooking the meal they were going to eat at 8 AM, when they wouldn't be there until noon, but she figured it would be a good idea. She took her oven mitts off, and, quite on accident, dropped on onto the pan of food, which she didn't notice. She went down, saying the food was ready, it just needed to simmer, and then going to work on her new Zoid, glad to have a Liger instead of the Death Saurer. It just felt more proper to her, like how good she felt when riding back seat in Ryu's Liger Aero. After about five minutes, however, both boys smelt smoke, and ran rushing up the steps. The oven mitt had caught fire!

"Jesus, what are you trying to do Lia?! Kill us all?" Ryu managed to put the fire out, but the food was ruined.

"...Great...Now what am I supposed to do?" She wailed.

"I could cook something," Ryu said, reaching for a pan.

"HELL NO!" Both of his friends said, pushing him out of the kitchen.

Koen sighed. "I suppose we could order take-out..."

"And let them think we're a bunch of slobs who can't cook? No way!"

"Well then, what do you propose?"

An unknown voice from outside the kitchen spoke. "Well, you could always let me cook..."

Both turned, to see a pair of boys, one with white hair, green eyes, black clothes, and a silver dragon badge on his left arm, and the other with red hair, blue eyes, white clothes, and a gold dragon badge on his right arm. The one with the silver badge spoke. "Shiden Arashi, Pilot of the AC known as Drake Reaper, and I'm an excellent chef."

He walked past the pair, grabbed a pan, and immediately got to work on cooking. The other boy smiled. "Raizen Shipuu, Pilot of AC Blizzarus, and Shiden's younger twin brother. I suppose you are the Zoid team that Mirage sent us to meet, yes?"

The two Zoid pilots nodded, then did a double take: neither of the two looked anything like the other, except the badge; they even had different last names, for crying out loud! Ryu came in, and saw the two, and smiled. "Looks like the dinner problem is solved." Shiden nodded, focusing on his work.

About half an hour later, the five pilots sat down to a simple looking meal: Teryaki chicken, Spanish rice, and a dinner roll each. Koen and Raizen both took the first bite. Raizen then proceeded to eat his food at an average pace, but Koen stared at his plate, before saying, "My god...Kill me, I've just tasted heaven..."

And with that, he dove into his plate, eating as fast as he could. Ryu ate at the same pace Raizen did, and Lia and Shiden ate slowly. She was crying. "My, this is so good...it's better than Koen's..."

Normally, Koen would have taken that as an insult, but she was right; the food was better than most he had cooked, and it was such a simple meal. "I had to learn, when I got sent to Summer camp. The food sucked, so I started cooking in my cabin, and found that it was alright, so I offered to cook one day in the cafeteria. The staff wanted to hire me the next day, but I said I'd cook every Friday, as long as I didn't have to go bungee jumping. I hated it, since the water at the bottom was shallow, and had sharp rocks in it."

Raizen had been there for the last two months of the camp, so he knew what Shiden was talking about, but he was also used to his brother's cuisine; whenever Shiden came up with a new recipe, he called upon his brother with the iron stomach.

"So, when do you guys want us to test you?" The question came as a surprise to the three Zoid pilots, since the older twin had said it so simply, after they had eaten, and were relaxing in the living room. "Uh...How about tomorrow? It's kinda late in the day for our kind of fighting."

It was a total lie; the Zoid pilots fought and trained whenever, wherever. They just wanted to have more of that food. Shiden smiled at his brother, who winked before saying, "Alright. But, where are we going to put our ACs, and where are we going to sleep?" Koen got a slight smile at that. "Well, one of you could take my bed, since I sleep in my cockpit anyway, and then the other could take Ryu's bed!"

Ryu glanced at his brother. "And where, per chance, will I be sleeping?"

"Simple. With Lia." The red color on both pilot's faces could probably be seen from space. "B-b-but..."

"No buts. We're entertaining guests. We must be hospitable." Shiden sighed sadly, catching in on the act. "No, we'll be fine. I hope the scorpions don't like the taste of Raven..."

"Well, we could always sleep in the ACs, but the life support systems only have air when the pilot is conscious. Otherwise, the eject system activates, and we'd be lost in the desert." Raizen's excuse was accompanied by a sad face.

Ryu broke down, as well as Lia, even though they both knew Shiden's excuse was a load of bull, but they weren't sure about Raizen's. "Fine. I'll sleep in Lia's room, but I won't sleep in her bed."

"You've gotta. I let the snake out at night, to see if there are any pests, remember?" Ryu sighed, and felt like crying, but nodded.

"Okay, you've got me. I'll sleep with Lia."

All three other boys looked at each other, then burst out laughing, while Lia blushed madly."What?" Ryu was truly stumped.

"...What you said...that sounded so dirty!" Shiden was the one who managed to sputter it out. When Ryu realized what they were talking about, his own face turned even more scarlet. When the laughter subsided, Koen showed the two Ravens to where they would be sleeping for the night. Each smiled, and waved as the door closed. Once alone, however, each jumped into the bed, and closed their eyes, ready for sleep. The ACs had been retrieved, and were parked in the Cargo Snail, ready to be launched in the morning.

Koen worked on his Zoid a little more, then fell asleep. Ryu, however, was wide awake, and staring at a wall. He slept on top of the covers, since Lia slept in nothing but her underwear. She was pleasantly asleep, while he kept staring at the wall, as if willing it to explode, so he could escape without waking her.

_This is going to be a looooong night..._


	5. Chapter 5

Armored Core/Zoids Colab

Ch. 5: Admissions.

**Note: I do not own AC, Zoids, or anything about this, other than the idea, and some of the characters. If I did own them, though, Bit and Leena would be married, and Brad would become a Raven, and...Let's just say it'd be much more of a story. -shot-**

_...I want to know how and why I'm in this situation, and who or what got me in it in the first place!!_

Ryu Tenso wasn't one of the most social people in the world. He was always quiet, only really talking when he needed to. However, he was more than willing to shout at his brother in the morning, once he got out of the bed that he was currently trying to sleep in, which also happened to be the bed of his long-time crush. Lia was completely unaware of anything wrong, although she was awake, heart pumping like a jackhammer. Both people in that bed had a crush on the other, but was afraid to tell the other, and really afraid to be rejected. Ryu had just gotten out of a reltationship that he considered "Horrible." The girl was a manhater, simple as that, and she kept making him be like a pet; she even once wanted to make him wear a leash while following him. Lia, however, had nothing but bad luck in love.

Koen was so sure that his plan would work: the two Ravens had even went along with the act, thus boosting the credibility. Then there was the fact that Koen knew how both of his fellow pilots felt about each other. They had feelings, but were too afraid to show them; well, this would be an end to that. They'd be stuck together all night, with no one but each other to talk to. Then again, on the downside, they could not talk to each other, or they could end up with problems with the way the other sleeps, or be traumatized, or even possibly they could kill him tomorrow. He still thought it was a good idea.

Shiden and Raizen were asleep, both in the same bed. Each was used to the other's presence, from the simple fact that they had slept in the same bed from age 4 onward. That, plus it was cold as hell in the ship to them, and they didn't want to be alone in this foreign place. They each curled a little tighter, and continued their sleep. However, they would have been in trouble, had the two in the last bed known there was an empty bed in the ship.

Ryu was still wide awake, staring at the wall in front of him. He wanted to be anywhere else so very badly at that moment. He just didn't think he deserved to be near such a beautiful girl, no matter how madly he was in love with her. He turned to look at her, and saw that she was looking directly at him. She was smiling, but it seemed like she was only doing so for the sake of having an expression. He forced a smile back, and hers dropped a few notches. He didn't know that she felt the same way about him, that she wanted to be his, but was too afraid to say so. This was the closest the two had ever been, physically at least.

"...Lia? Are you awake?" Ryu had a sort of shakiness in his voice.

"...Yeah." Lia didn't want it to show, but she was nervous too.

"There's...there's something I've really wanted to tell you, but I've never found the right words..."

Her heart started to beat just a little faster. "Yeah? What might that be?"

"I...I uh...Never mind. I still can't find the words." He wanted to turn back around, and beat his head against the wall, but that would only make her think him even more crazy.

She could sense the pain of not being able to say what he wanted to coming from him, and she felt similar. "Maybe words won't suit what you wish to say. Maybe only action will." She blushed at the words coming out of her own mouth.

His eyes glimmered, but then dulled. "But...what if the action only makes you hate me?"

She smiled again, her face still a light pink. "Then you can say that at least you tried, right?"

He nodded. "Then, can you please close your eyes?"

She did as asked. He leaned in a bit, saying, "I want this to be a surprise."

She giggled, knowing what he wished to do, even as he did it. He leaned closer, and as soon as they were close enough for their lips to meet, they did. He kissed her, although he considered it sloppily, she felt it was the best kiss in the world. They kept in that position, him kissing her, until they had to breathe.

As they broke off, she said, "Well, that sure explained it better than words ever could."

He sighed. "It would have, if I had actually been able to put feeling into it."

She blinked. "...What do you mean?"

"I only did it because you told me to. If I had done it in the way I wished, properly, it would have let my feelings go across clearly."

She sat up. "Well then, Ryu, show me. I want to know exactly what you wished to tell me, and put as much feeling as you can into it. Give me every little detail, without the need for words."

He gaped for a second, but sat up as well, and nodded. "This time, I'll show you how much you mean to me."

He got off the bed, and stood, and she did the same. He leaned in close, like he did before, only he wrapped his hands around her small waist, and kissed her. She wrapped her arms around his neck, deepening the kiss. They stayed like that, only stopping after they were completely desperate for air. He still thought it sloppy, but she reprised her thoughts, and believed that _that_ was the best kiss ever. "...Wow. That sure was an excellent explanation."

He smiled, and said, "I also found the words for what I wanted to say."

"Really? What might those words be?"

"Three simple words: I. Love. You. I couldn't live without you, now that I think about it. When you and I used to hang out, I'd be so happy. I always thought you and I were close, but now...I dunno. It's like everything I thought I knew, I didn't. I thought I just loved you, but it's more than that, I think. I just love being around you. I love the way you look at me, the way you act. Everything."

The blush on her face deepened with each word, and she hid her face in his chest. She was surprised he had gotten taller than her, even though she always saw him. She supposed he was always this tall, he just slouched. Plus, she rarely saw him standing anymore anyway; he was always sitting reading a book, Piloting his Zoid, or just laying around.

Unfortunately, it was then that they both realized she was standing there in nothing but her underwear. He blushed, and hers deepened, but they still remained standing there, her face in his chest, his arms around her waist. Finally, he said, "...It's late. We should get to bed." She nodded, and let him climb on. For a second, he thought about getting under the covers, but decided against it. She climbed in, and got comfy again. "You should get under the covers; it's only going to get colder as the night goes on." He blinked, but did as asked, sliding under the covers and next to her. "Don't worry, even if they don't, I'll keep you warm." She wrapped her arms around the boy, and he smiled once again.

The two lovers fell asleep, each in the one person they loved more than anything's arms. Two others, however, were sitting up in their shared bed, smiling. "See? I told you I felt tension on a loving scale between them." Raizen was feeling good that he'd predicted it.

"So? If it wasn't for both of us, they'd have been stuck like that, and it would probably have eventually ruined their relationship. So, I say we both take responsibility."

"Don't forget, Shiden. We need to test him and his brother tomorrow. Let's get a little more sleep, then we can get up and you can make breakfast, while I go and have a good laugh." Both brothers fell asleep again, evil grins on their faces, very evil thoughts on their minds.


End file.
